Bits and Pieces
by Nina S Spice
Summary: A short story that came from a dream. I hope you enjoy. I am a first time writer so please give me some advice.


Bits and pieces/p

It was a grey and cloudy day as I walked the beach. The sea air whipping around me as I wandered closer to the shoreline. I shouldn't have been out there father would have gone mad to find me out there instead of inside doing my studies but I needed a break. The house was becoming like a cage to me. Suffocating me to the point where if I look out at the wide open sea out my window I felt like it was a million miles away, and not just a short walk down the beach. So I snuck away as father was taking a business call in his study he would be on the phone for hours and not think of me once.

That was fine with me being under his constant eye was exhausting. Always acting that I was fine and the perfect daughter was impossible to do sometimes it felt like. I took a deep breath of sea air breathing in the salt letting it sink into my bones. I've always loved the sea and the endless possibilities it seemed to present. One moment it could be as calm a new born baby sleeping and the next it could be a raging toddler throwing a temper tantrum over the smallest thing, but it was free to do want it wanted. All my life I have been controlled by my father never free to do and feel how I wanted.

It was ironic really that father decided to move us out here instead of the one in town closer to his work. He knew I loved the sea and to me it seemed like some sick joke to move here because he never wanted me to go outside always telling me it was too dangerous to go too close to the sea. When I was younger he would tell me stories of children getting lost at sea and of creatures that would lurk on the edge of the shore waiting to pull me in and drown me. They were supposed to scare me but they only excited me and made want to see the creatures for myself.

I stood at the shore letting the sea wash over my bare feet the water was freezing but I didn't care. I stared at the sea hoping I might find one of the many creatures my father talked about as a child but there was nothing not even a fish. I continued down the shore in no particular direction. Wandering in and out if the sea as deep as my thighs. My jeans clung to me like a second skin making me even colder but I continued on my journey refusing to look back at the house that has always offered little warmth. I briefly thought about running away as I walked but I had nothing to run to. There was nothing in the world for me and I couldn't offer it anything in return. I knew I would return to the house eventually but I wanted to put it off for as long as possible so I kept walking until I stood at the bottom of a cliff that stood thousands of feet above me.

It was impossible to climb but I tried to anyways with my feet numb from the cold sea I continued to walk on the sharp rocks not caring when my foot slipped on the small ledge that I walked. I climbed until my arms screamed at me and my feet began to bleed. I was shivering and weak by the time I made it to a wide flat ledge. I laid on my back both exhausted and thrilled that I got as far I as I did. I stared up at the gray sky seeming to mock me saying I would never get away from my life no matter how far I was willing to walk. I sat up and looked out at the sea it seemed even bigger than it did before when I was below which only seemed to bring my spirit down even more. As I sat the wind seemed to grow warmer and colder all at once. The chill from the sea whipped my hair around my face as I felt a warm breath at the back of my neck. I turned half expecting my father to be the one breathing down my neck ready to scold me and drag me back to the house but all that was there was a cave.

How did I not notice it before? There was a huge gaping hole in the side of the cliff three times my size that was where the warm air was coming from. I got to my feet intrigued by this new discovery. I limped, finally feeling the cuts on my feet, toward it, loving the warmth that the cave offered. The ledge was larger than I originally thought as well was several feet long and took me what felt like forever to get to the mouth of the cave which towered over me. I sat on the edge of the opening gingerly bringing my feet up to look at the damage I've done to them. They were bad but I wanted to explore the cave so I took off my sweat shirt and then my shirt I shivered from the sea air as it hit my skin but I was warmed by the air of the cave soon after. I ripped my shirt and wrapped it around the worst of my cuts and put back on my sweat shirt. It would have to do for now as I stood up the warping making it a little easier to walk.

The cave was enormous as big as five of my houses put together there were stalactites hanging from the ceiling all of varying sizes some hung so low I could reach up and touch them others were short. They jutted out from the ceiling like crooked teeth of a gaping mouth. I continued into the darkness the air grew warmer as I walked, warming my chilled bones. As I walked the walls grew narrower and the roof began to sink. Something was telling me to go deeper pulling me in as everything around me turned black as night.

I stretched out my arms feeling my way through the darkness. The way was getting so small I had to crouch to squeeze through and before I knew it I was crawling on my hands and knees in inky blackness that seemed to cling to everything. My eyes slowly started to adjust to the darkness as I continued on my way. The air grew uncomfortably hot my clothes began to dry and I started to sweat. Just when it seemed like it would never end it slowly started to open up I went from a crawl to crouch then finally a stand.

I stood at a cross roads of sort from what I could see there were three opening one to my left, one to my right and one straight down the middle. I was drenched in sweat by this time so I tore off my sweat shirt and throw it on the ground. I stood there debating which tunnel to take my heart pounding. I felt something latch on to the beating of my heart pulling me to the right I followed it carelessly. The tunnel was just tall enough for me to stand, my head just barely scraping the top of my head in some spots. As I went on the tunnel slowly started to lighten. The walls turned from black to grey. They seemed to vibrate around me as I walked. It should have scared me but it only made me want to continue on to see what was pulling me.

I knew it would be amazing what I would find so I followed the feeling as it lead me down, down, down. The tunnel began to twist and turn until I was completely lost in the feeling of the pull. The vibrating grew louder and deeper, like a heart, as I neared whatever it was I was supposed to find. Then finally there was just the faintest of light miles ahead, I picked up my pace. Then I stopped. What if this lead me back to the beach to the house? What would I do then after such an adventure I couldn't imagine going back? I wanted to turn back to get lost in the tunnel and never return but the pull was to strong it made me continue on my journey my steps not quite so eager this time. As I neared the end it grew impossibly hot and the air grew stale. Defiantly not the cold salty sea air.

The tunnel gradually opened up into a cavern as big as the opening to the cave was the whole place seem to glow with unnatural light. I stood at the edge of a gigantic hole. Along the edge of the hole was a walk way that spiraled down like a dangerous stair way with one wrong step you could plummet to your death. I pressed against the wall not daring to look down as I walked. I walked along the edge for what seemed like hours until I finally came to the bottom.

The vibrating turning into a beat like a heart thudding through my body and heart pulling me closer to it. The air felt impossible to breathe with the amount of heat that was rolling around in the cavern. The unnatural light turned to purple and green all at the same time I followed that light into yet another tunnel when I finally saw it. What this feeling was pulling me toward it seemed impossible in the most beautiful way.

There before me was a gleaming scaly sleeping dragon. It seemed to glow even brighter as I stood there staring at it. The dragon lay there curled up like a cat sleeping in the sun, with its large head resting on its wide hunches blowing puffs of smoke from its nostrils, it's incredibly long spiky tail wrapped around itself seeming to protect it like a deadly barrier that no man should cross.

I knew I should stay away heard plenty of stories about the dangers of dragons and the things they could do. But the pull brought me closer to it I circled the sleeping dragon wanting to touch it but knowing I shouldn't. When I got to the back I saw the outline of folded wings pressed tight to the body. Its whole body radiated heat it seemed that if I did touch it, it would burn me to a crisp. As I walked around it the scales seemed to dance with green and purple light hypnotizing me enticing me to draw nearer. Without realizing it I was within arms reach of the beautiful creature in front of me. I lifted my arm wanting so badly to touch the beautiful sleeping dragon and trace each and every scale.

When I was just inches away. I woke up, because sadly it was all a dream. A wondrous crazy impossible dream, but a dream none the less. I stared up at the white walls of my prison. I sat up in bed ready for another studious day of rigorous studying.


End file.
